Many coaches believe the Goaltender is the most important player on their team.

The goalie has the very difficult job of keeping the puck, sometimes fired at great speed, out of the net. Any mistake the goaltender makes usually results in a goal against.

If the goalie stops the first shot they have done their job. If they have to stop the 2^nd and 3^rd shot on the same play their teammates are not doing their defensive job of clearing rebounds and covering or moving opponents from in front of their net and the slot area.

Keys to Good Goaltending

Positioning is the key to good goaltending.

If you are in the correct position to stop the puck it will hit you 99 times out of 100.

The goalie must be positioned square or 90 degrees to the puck when it leaves the shooter’s stick and move out further to a squared position to stop any rebounds.

Keep your eyes on the puck at all times even when it’s in the opposite end of the rink.

There’s nothing worse for a young goalie or their team than giving up a soft long shot goal because you weren’t watching the puck. Concentrate on the puck at all times.

Cutting the Angle is another key element of goaltending.

The goalie must move out of his net beyond the goal crease to cut the angle.

By doing this you physically make the openings into the net smaller for the shooter.

The shooter will always tip the goalie off that he is going to shoot by looking down at the puck to make sure it is on his stick and in the right shooting position.

When s/he does this, move out 1 to 2 feet further square towards the shooter to make the opening in the net even smaller.

Catch every puck shot at you, even on the blocker side, this way you prevent any possible rebound and can get a whistle and a stoppage in play if required.

Stay up on your feet as long as you can and if you go down try to get your legs spread out towards each post in the butterfly style to prevent low shots from going in.

Put the paddle shaft of your stick across the front of your knees to stop 5 hole goals.

Remember, the entire 100% of the puck must cross the Goal line to count as a goal.

Young goalies in Novice/Mites and Atom/Squirt will go down early to try to stop the puck.

This is not a bad thing to do, as most players in this age group cannot shoot/lift the puck high into the top part of the net. But as players get older and stronger in Peewee and

Bantam, they will shoot high to the top corners and the goaltender will have to stay up in a standing position longer or the puck will go up over his shoulders into the top corners.

Controlling rebounds will be another challenge for the goalie.

If s/he can stop the first shot and the puck rebounds forward or off to the side, the goalie must be quick to fall on it or cover the loose puck with his catching glove.

Talk to your defensemen to let them know if a man is open in front of your net or if you are screened. Also, let them know if a forechecker is coming after them into the corner or if they have lots of time to make a good outlet pass or to carry it out.

If you help your defence they will help you.

Playing Breakaways, Penalty Shots and Shootouts

Sooner or later you are going to have to play one of the above.

The above situations have 1 puck carrier, skating in alone against the goalie.

Move out beyond the goal crease and remain square to the shooter to challenge him, then slowly retreat back to the top of the crease and stop when he gets close to you.

Stay in a standing position as long as you can and try to force the shooter to make the first move to either shoot or deke.

The longer you stand there the more nervous the shooter will get.

If you make the first move and go down early the shooter will either shoot high top corner or go around you. But if you hold your position, always square to the shooter even when he tries to deke you, he will run out of room and either shoot directly at you or will miss the net 9 out of 10 times.

The shooter will usually look down toward his stick and puck if he is going to shoot.

If he doesn’t look down but just straight ahead he is going to try to deke you.

Hopefully these basic tips will help young goaltenders, their coaches or parents get some idea of the demanding skills required to keep the puck out of your net and help you become a solid puck stopper.

There is a saying “Practice makes Perfect” and this definitely applies to young goaltenders.

John Shorey

Author- “Hockey Made Easy”

www.hockeymadeeasy.com